Out of Samsara, PsychoAttractive, Ketamine Deco @ The Union, Ayr

Ventures to the Union have been few and far between lately, normally consisting of ten minute sojourns during my breaks in classes. However, when an event of this calibre calls, I am loathe to not accept the charges. So, paying the princely sum of £2 on the door, and taking up residence on one of it's many far-too-comfortable blue couches, I settled in for an evening of pure rock bliss.

Inverness's own Ketamine Deco are the first to take to the stage. The band, whose rifftastic, high energy rock and roll conjures up images of classic Motley Crue and Kiss (sans makeup), surprisingly aren't regulars at the union, despite the esteem they hold with the local student community here. It's clear from the word go that, for this band, perfectly executed power stances and face-melting guitar solo are the order of the day.

The band's fairly active stage presence and crowd banter set these Highland rockers apart from the far too cool BMRC types straight off the bat. The band shamelessly feeds off of the crowd's beer fuelled energy, and gives every ounce of it back with envy inducing ease. Shared vocal duties between the band's four members shows off their multiple onstage talents. Even the band's obligatory power ballad, seemingly channelling influences from bands like Alter Bridge, with it's soaring refrain and chorus tinged verses, is full of energy, and instantly becomes a favourite of the fairly packed in audience.

Next up tonight are Union regulars and favourites Psychoattractive. Their sound, often described as a delicious blend of pop punk and pure evil, akin to a mix of The Specials and Iron Maiden, has given this Ayr-based 4-piece a fairly huge local appeal, as exemplified perfectly by their performance tonight. The band's usually quite frantic set is fuelled by a carefully constructed cocktail, based on one part discordant ska, two parts lager, with a brilliant driving rhythm section creating a fantastic foundation for the band's offbeat guitar work.

New fan favourites such as “I Hate Humans” beautifully bridges the gap between the band's hardcore edge, a la Black Flag, and the pure rock melancholy of Nick Cave et al. Their cover of Iron Maiden's “The Trooper”, now a fairly prominent staple of their live show, goes down superbly well with the venue's metal loving audience. The band's finale piece, “Don't Eat Your Friends”, allows the audience to enjoy 3 final minutes of punk rock craziness. As the song suggests, “tonight there's a party, the party is here”.

Carrying on the heavily discordant theme of the night, Out of Samsara are set to wrap up the night fantastically. The band's post hardcore and math rock leanings never fail to excite in this setting, and the down tempo live favourite “Carbon Copy City” drives the now mostly inebriated Union crowd into a headbanging frenzy. It's dirgy, even slower breakdown of a finale becomes the perfect example just how evil this band can get.

An unexpected cover turns up in the band's set. Guitarist Dan Stevenson introduces the song, stating that it was “written in 1962 by Lionel Richie”, before the entire outfit, with the surprise addition of Artemis Prototype bassist Iain McLeod, tonight on screaming vocals, breaks into a high octane rendition of the Deftones classic “My Own Summer (Shove It)”, drawing out a euphoric yet angst-ridden energy from the audience (especially from myself, considering the nu metal leanings of my youth).

Overall, tonight's bands have provided us all with a gorgeous mix of rock 'n' roll glory and discordant post rock bliss. Hopefully, tonight's show is only a glorious beginning to an equally fantastic year for these bands.

Sophie Madeleine - LOVE.LIFE.UKULELE

My usual tipple of choice while writing a review would be a nice, cold can of Tennants, most likely while working off some form of dreadful nausea caused by the revelry of the night before, the writing most definitely being a pre-going-outside affair. Today is different. Today the drink is a cup of chai tea, I'm actually feeling relatively healthy and not near death, and I've spent most of the day in class, talking about my new educational album. Therefore, a break is needed from the loud and the raucous nature of the indie rock I normally crave, and a quieter, more soulful breed of musician takes centre stage.

Enter Sophie Madeleine. I had first discovered this gem of a singer songwriter through the Bandcamp blog, as she was pegged as the first of their BCWax artists. Yes, you heard me right, true believers. Yes, it's another bedroom songstress with an acoustic guitar and a whimsical lyrical style. Yes, the album, LOVE. LIFE. UKULELE is consistently dreamy yet upbeat. And yes, floods of references to Katie Melua and Norah Jones are inherently expectable throughout.

Fortunately, however, only the first two preconceptions are correct. The fact is, and I am as loathe to admit it as can be expected, that I have no idea how this spectacular artist has remained under my usually keen indie-folk radar!

The album floats into being with “Takes Your Love With Me (The Ukulele Song)”, which provides the listener with a beautiful exposition of the album's laid back ethos. This loving story of a boy, a girl and a four-stringed instrument, with a few near-hyperbolic references to deserts and polar bears, also gives us a first glimpse of Sophie's terrific voice, which I've been describing in my head as a mix of Regina Spektor and St Vincent's Annie Clark. “I Just Can't Stop Myself (From Writing Love Songs About You)” shows off the album's obvious indie roots, and conjures up a strange paradoxical event, where the aforementioned Miss Clark seems to have written all the incidental music for The Gilmore Girls. One of the album's definite highlights, “The Knitting Song”, carries more of a classic pop, almost doo wop vibe, vocally performed like a softer spoken Eva Cassidy, while portraying a tremendous realist sentiment, even amongst the naïve, slightly cartoonish character of the song, that our lofi heroine needs “a little more than just a thought that I adore to keep me warm at night”.

Another of the album's seemingly infinite number of highlights is “You Are My Favourite”, whose infrequent modulations show off a Hal David-esque attitude to melody, and allowing the song to move between themes with seemless perfection. “When New Year Comes Around”, with it's glockenspiel tapped introduction lifted straight from “Auld Lang Syne”, paints Sophie as a British indie reincarnation of Ella Fitzgerald, with it's irresistable jazz hooks, flute improvisations and gorgeous chord progressions. The finale of the album proper, “Hurry Locomotive”, paints a beautiful, near impressionist image of a countryside train journey, with undertones of a deeper emotional journey. As they have throughout, Sophie's beautiful vocal harmony pads create a gorgeous texture on top of a canvas formed of a simple picked guitar pattern, layered under synth arpeggios and shakers.

Is it clear that I'm distraughtly in love with this album? Is it clear that, without this self-imposed word limit, that I could go on forever about Madeleine's beautifully naïve lyrical prose and dream-like arrangements? If not, then I'm clearly not doing a good enough job. If Sophie Madeleine still hasn't shown up on your radar, then let my lapse in recognition stand as a warning. Turn off your Tigermilk LP, dig out your slippers, stick the kettle on, and switch on to Sophie Madeleine.

LOVE. LIFE. UKULELE is available from Sophie's bandcamp page for download and as a special limited edition red pressed vinyl LP.

The Hostiles @ The Union, Ayr

In my experience, the best way to judge a ska band in retrospect is by the hangover you have the morning after you see them perform. This morning, it's quite mild, with a bit of a churning in the stomach, but nothing that some toast and coffee can't cure.

Not exactly a good analogy of the band, but I digress...

I walked into a fairly quiet Union last night around the back of nine, to see that The Hostiles were still soundchecking. Having been in the pub since four that afternoon, I was somewhat impatient for the start of the show, and the one band bill of the night seemed confusing. How is one band going to fill up the entire night?

The band began their set with very little fanfare, other than that created by their booming brass section. Their music, a brand of classic ska punk a la Reel Big Fish and Big D, carried subtle hip hop undertones throughout, making the band near perfect stablemates for some of the underground's rising stars, such as Sonic Boom 6 or Random Hand. Imagine, if you will, that Madness had been heavily influenced by House of Pain and Black Flag. I think that would come pretty close.

Mid-set, I start picking up on certain unimpressive elements of tonight's show. For a start, the band's dueling vocals are almost unlistenable through a hissing and distorting PA. The trio of guitarist, bassist and drummer seem to be the only ones in the band with much movement in them, and even that seems somewhat forced from where I'm sitting. A somewhat nervous looking alto sax player seems to compliment an altogether lifeless band in general.

To be fair, I like these guys. They are one of the tightest punk outfits out right now. Every song is well written and performed, every break executed perfectly. Their sound is a genuinely pleasing variation on the ska punk canon, with a very west coast Scottish feel to it throughout. The PA isn't the band's fault, it's just one of those things you can't always control. As for the slightly drab performance, even that is forgiveable, all things considered. In a genre where bands are famous for fuelling themselves on the enthusiasm of the audience, tonight's lukewarm reception begat a lukewarm performance. It's fine, everyone gets one. However, the band does begin to warm up a bit more as the night goes on, taking their cue from a now slightly inebriated Union audience. Therein lies the glory of ska punk: it only gets better when you've had a few.

Needless to say the band are fantastic. Their general attitude to their music, mirrored by their near insanse touring schedule as seen on their myspace, shows the band to be a committed and driven outfit. Obviously, tonight's performance seemed a bit of a drag, considering the lack of crowd and a fairly dismal PA, but overall The Hostiles pull off a fairly sweet live show, which is to be admired considering the circumstances. Needless to say, I'll be seeing them again.

Hopefully my hangover will be worse next time...

The band's debut album, Always Looking Forward, is out now. For more tour dates, check out their myspace.

Kassidy - Night In The Box

In light of the fact that my good friends, Kassidy, are releasing their brand new Rubbergum EP next week (through Vertigo Records, and available in HMV and other record stores of fine repute, by the way), I've decided to warm you all up by weighing in on the hype with this little review of Kassidy's most recent single, Night In The Box.

The single's A-Side kicks off with an acoustic guitar riff, slightly reminiscent of a classic Eagles of Death Metal track from back in the day. A possible influence? I actually hope so! Other obvious influences on this track could include The Byrds, whose jangly lead guitars can be heard throughout the track, not forgetting the obvious Crosby, Stills & Nash vocal work, culminating in some of the most beautiful 4-part harmonies you're like to hear in pop today. The track features (and I use the term loosely) a rather underplayed rhythm, consisting mostly of a bass drum and handclaps, while the guitars present the lion's share of the track's driving folk rhythms. The song's vocals, simultaneously hook-laden yet melodically simple, are instantly recognisable and, most impressively, hummable after only a few spins.

The B-Side, the more folk-driven The Traveller, at first gave me the impression that it would be a prime candidate for a disco remix. The key elements are there: the hooky guitar licks; the steady, danceable rhythm; the fantastically repeating chant-of-a-chorus, “this is where I wanna be”... all the elements of a dancefloor classic (even I, a chronic non-dancer, couldn't resist a slight shimmy on my first listening). The song build throughout into a gorgeous crescendo of voices and guitars, with the final chorus driving home that signature pounding rhythm that makes a Kassidy song instantly discernible from other folk rock chancers, and instantly dying out into it's a cappella outro, reinforcing the chorus's vocal hook.

With their new EP out next Monday, followed by a national tour and a support slot with Noah and The Whale in London all before the end of March, this year's looking to be a busy one for our folk rock quartet. It is with a sense of fanboyish glee that I await the release of the band's debut EP, which, if this single is anything to go by, will kick ass and take names!

Kassidy's Night In The Box single is available now from iTunes. The Rubbergum EP is out Monday 8^th February, and is available from selected independent record stores and HMV in Scotland, as well as online. For more information check out their myspace, or follow @kassidyuk on twitter.

Kidd Russell - The Dash EP

I'll be the first to admit my limited knowledge of hip hop. My only real experience of it involves that one MC Lars show I went to two years ago (and some somewhat embarrassing experiences involving ICP). So, fearless readers, you wouldn't be too surprised when I say I was a bit worried when The Dash EP, a new release by Chicago based Kidd Russell, turned up in my inbox yesterday morning.

Even before listening to the EP, judging by some of his career highlights, it's needless to say that Kidd is already making some waves with his music. He's supported Uncle Cracker, one of his videos, Dear Shooter, was featured on MTV Jams (whatever that is), and his track Rush Rock Remix is now the theme song for ROH Wrestling. It's safe to say that I already had high hopes for the EP, but would it live up to the hype?

Well, actually, yes. The record's opening track, E North Ave, is a fairly rose-tinted view of Kidd's neighbourhood, where it seems nothing (and no one, apparently) works, everything is broken, but the sense of community is still strong, even though the neighbours are “all drunk, broke and smoking”. Rush Rock Remix chimes in with a pretty strong guitar riff, and gives the listener a taste of Kidd's motivations for pursuing his rap career. It's passionate, rhyming off about his love of the stage and the limelight, kind of like Lose Yourself, but a lot less self-loathing. Paradise brings a beautiful ska/reggae feel to the album, but isn't sparse of hip hop show-off-manship, with plenty of bling and cars to keep it firmly in the genre. However, somehow I can't get rid of the idea that this particular track carries a very strange vibe of Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince, but that might just be my suburban upbringing showing.

12-bar blues? In MY hip hop? Well, with Hurricane, it's more likely than you think. A track telling the story of the ups and downs of a pretty tumultuous relationship. As someone who has met their fair share of women who destroy everything in their paths, I can most definitely relate to the sentiments of the song. Dear Shooter slows everything down for a little bit, taking the form of a letter to a neighbourhood kid whose fallen in with the wrong crowd, with Kidd urging him to choose another path before it all goes wrong. The track takes an interesting twist, as characters and setting change, taking place on the battlefield, with the shooter becoming an enemy soldier. The song leaves us with the strongest anti-violence message of all: “I don't want to die”. Be.song finishes the EP on an uplifting note, reminding us that “no one's going to lead us out of this rut”. Urging his listeners to be their own role models, and to embrace hope and belief, the track is sadly a bit of a let down, coming across as somewhat cheesy. Thankfully enough, it's only a slight blemish on a fantastic record.

Bonus tracks found on this deluxe edition of the EP include I'll Do One, which kicks off with an excerpt from Will Ferrell's Old School character, Frank The Tank, the original version of Dear Shooter, and a stunning critique of suburban life in Suburban Anthropology. Being my first real foray into hip hop proper in a long time, I'm quite glad that there's still artists out there like Kidd Russell who are, at least partially, rejecting the “gangsta” sensibilities of the likes of 50 Cent et al. Key listening for anyone looking for some decent, authentic alternative hip hop, The Dash EP is attention grabbing till the end.

Kidd Russell's The Dash EP is available for download at iTunes. For more information, check out his website.

Roscoe Vacant - Nothing's Going To Change [EP]

My love of lofi acoustic records goes back to the first time I listened to A Crowd of Drunken Lovers by Robert Blake. The very fact that someone could be reduced to one or two mics and a 4-track recorder, yet still make some of the most beautiful albums I'd ever listened to (and one which still receives a fair amount of spins on my CD player 2 years down the line) actually physically astounded me. It is because of this revelation that I judge most bedroom singer songwriter types by this very high, often unreachable benchmark.

Having said that, it's a fairly inappropriate approach to use when reviewing this newest release by Ayrshire's own Roscoe Vacant.

The EP kicks off with Eve of War, a seasoned live favourite that I must have heard a hundred times before. The song, however, doesn't lose any of it's power or poignancy, and is only complimented by the subtlety of the tracks mandolin lead parts. Four More Years kicks off with an introduction that would have you believe that Roscoe had gone slightly mad and decided to record an Otis Redding cover. This feeling quickly dissipates when his trademark driving punk rock guitar playing kicks in, along with some very unironic pop punk vocal harmonies. The record's title track, a stunning indictment of the hype around the election of President Barack Obama quickly reminds us of punk's most important founding principle: “nothing's going to change, not unless you make it”. Barley Bree provides the listener with a nod to another fairly well known Ayrshire rebel and poet, Robert Burns, while Misery Loves Company comes across as a kick in the teeth to middle class apathy, and is surely not an anthem to be heard at “kicking out time at the 13^th note”.

The second half of the record struck me as somewhat familiar, till I realised that it was actually a short selection of tracks from the earlier Escape from Doom Valley live EP. Eve of War gets it's second, slightly louder exposition, followed by Tight Knots of October, which kicks in with a sound I often acquaint to The Specials being exposed to QOTSA midway through Ghost Town. My only complaint on this half of the record is the overarching sense that this session sounds like it was recorded in a cave (a common complaint I have of community radio sessions).

I find myself continually having to remove myself from my usual lofi mindset while listening to this record in order to appreciate it's obvious punk roots fully. Long story short: if you'd rather hear gentle love songs, sung by middle aged hipsters, stick to Iron & Wine. If ballsy, socially relevant and politically sound folk punk is more your bag, Roscoe Vacant is your man!

Roscoe Vacant's “Nothing's Going To Change” is available as a free download from his myspace page (http://www.myspace.com/roscoevacant)